Saturday, December 31, 2011

I love the front of this advertising postcard showing the sheet music for Auld Lang Syne!

postmarked in 2010 with a machine stamp

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"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song. It is well known in many English-speaking (and other) countries and is often sung to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight.

The song's Scots title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or "old times". Consequently "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, is loosely translated as "for (the sake of) old times".

The song begins by posing a rhetorical question as to whether it is right that old times be forgotten, and is generally interpreted as a call to remember long-standing friendships.

Friday, December 30, 2011

postmarked on 11/11/11 with a great 2008 India stamp of an Aldabra Giant Tortoise for 15.00

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Mubarak Mahal, meaning the 'Auspicious Palace', was built in 1990 by Maharaja Madho Singh II as a reception center. It is now a museum, mostly known for its variety of textiles such as the royal formal costumes, sanganeri block prints, embroidered shawls and silk saris. One of the displays to see here is the set of very large clothes worn by Sawai Madhosingh I, who was two metres (6.6 feet) tall and weighed 250 kilograms (550 pounds).

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Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark. It shares borders with Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, Poland to the south, and a Russian exclave (Kaliningrad Oblast) to the southwest.

Lithuania has an estimated population of 3.2 million as of 2011, and its capital and largest city is Vilnius.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Appearing on stage "in person," Mickey Mouse tunes up with some of the spectacular cast of 85 famous Walt Disney characters that sing and perform during the Mickey Mouse Revue.

Walt Disney World Florida

unused, from 1978

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The Mickey Mouse Revue

A colorful forest of singing flowers joins Alice in Wonderland...part of the talented cast of 85 famous Walt Disney characters "come to life" to perform old favorites during the Mickey Mouse Revue

postmarked in 1971 with 8 cent Eisenhower stamp

The Mickey Mouse Revue was an indoor stage show acted by audio-animatronic performers in the Fantasyland area of Magic Kingdom park and was one of the three original attractions on its opening day. From Florida it was sent to Tokyo Disneyland. I do not believe it exists anymore.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Virka (Post in Finnish)
There are three of these postcards in three languages, they are for people to write on the postcard and send it in to 'Reveal what the Helsinki (Finland) of your dreams is like'.

The front of the card in Swedish has galleri, which is Swedish for Gallery, the front of the card in English has galleria, which is Finnish for gallery, and the card written in Finnish just has a bunch of stars.

This is a great postcard set !! And Bravo to Helsinki for coming up with this idea :D

Monday, December 26, 2011

When opinions are too strong for mere words, M. T. Liggett expresses himself with a torch and scrap metal. Since retiring from the Air Force in 1989, he has lined the perimeter of his property along U.S. Highway 54 with hundreds of metal manifestos, many of them animated by the wind. A sampling of his totems can bee seen at
The Grassroots Art Center, Lucas, KS 67648

Sunday, December 25, 2011

The bright cross shaped Church of the Nativity dominates manger square, the site of the birth of Jesus Christ. "The most sacred place on earth", as St. Jerome wrote. On the right stands the church of St. Catherine with its red tiled roof.

From the Holy Land From the Skies Postcard Collection
Photo by Hanan Isachar 1995
unused

The back of the postcard book reads:
"The Heavens declare the Glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork." (Psalm 19:1)

Viewing the holy land from the skies is a unique way to comprehend the above verse. Jerusalem, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Capernaum, The Sea of Galilee and other known sight are seen in their utmost magnificence.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Koln
am Rhein
Germany
This Postcard of the Cologne Cathedral is postmarked in 2008 with 2 Deutschland (Germany) stamps

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Cologne Cathedral is a Roman Catholic church in Cologne, Germany. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne, and is under the administration of the Archdiocese of Cologne. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The cathedral is a World Heritage Site and one of the best-known architectural monuments in Germany, and Cologne's most famous landmark. It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day.

Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 and took, with interruptions, until 1880 to complete. It is 144.5 metres (474 ft) long, 86.5 m (284 ft) wide and its towers are approximately 157 m (515 ft) tall. The cathedral is one of the world's largest churches and the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. For four years, 1880–84, it was the tallest structure in the world, until the completion of the Washington Monument.

The cathedral suffered seventy hits by aerial bombs during World War II. It did not collapse, but stood tall in an otherwise flattened city. The great twin spires are said to have been used as an easily recognizable navigational landmark by Allied aircraft raiding deeper into Germany in the later years of the war, which may be a reason that the cathedral was not destroyed.

card 1: Kurz vor Kriegsend 1945; Alliierte Soldaten in der zerstorten Stadt.
In 1945, just before the end of the war: soldiers of the allied forces in the destroyed city.

card 2: Koln, end of World War 2 in 1945

card 3: Germany - Koln - Hohenzollernbrucke und Dom - Photo: Hans Hartz - I wish it was in better condition - postmarked with German 20 Bundespost stamp - I can't make out the date, but "Germany around 1950" was written on the back by the message. With a magnifying glass you can still see some of the buildings are not 100 percent repaired yet.
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On the interior postcard above in the lower center is this .......

Der Dreikonigenschrein im Kolner Dom

The Shrine of the Three Magi in the Cologne Cathedral

unused, bought in 2011 in Koln Germany

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The Shrine of the Three Kings is a reliquary (container for relics) said to contain the bones of the Biblical Magi, also known as the Three Kings or the Three Wise Men. The shrine is a large gilded and decorated triple sarcophagus placed above and behind the high altar of Cologne Cathedral.

The "relics of the Magi" were originally situated at Constantinople, but brought to Milan by Eustorgius I, the city's bishop, in 344. The relics of the Magi were taken from Milan by Holy Roman Emperor Fredrick Barbarossa and given to the Archbishop of Cologne, Rainald of Dassel in 1164. The Three Kings have since attracted a constant stream of pilgrims to Cologne.

Parts of the shrine were designed by the famous medieval goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun, who began work on it in 1180 or 1181. It has elaborate gold sculptures of the prophets and apostles, and scenes from the life of Christ. The shrine was completed circa 1225.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

postmarked in 2010 with 5 Ukraine Stamps - one flowers, two red pictures, one of an animal figurine, then one that is preprinted on the back with this same picture for 100

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While many of the Ukrainian Christmas Eve customs are of a solemn nature, the custom of caroling is joyful and merry.

Caroling required extensive preparation. Each group had a leader. One member dressed as a goat. Another as a bag carrier, the collector of all the gifts people would give them. Yet another carried a six-pointed star attached to a long stick with a light in its center, which symbolized the Star of Bethlehem.

Caroling was not a simple singing of Christmas songs; it was more of a folk opera. The carolers first had to ask for permission to sing. If the answer was yes, they entered the house and sang carols for each member of the family, even for the smallest child. Sometimes they even performed slow ritualistic dances. They also had to present a short humorous skit involving the goat. The custom of the goat accompanying the carolers has its origin in the pagan times when the goat represented the god of fertility. The skit showed the goat dying and then being brought back to life. This also symbolized the death of Winter and the birth of Spring. The caroling always ended with short well-wishing poems, appropriately selected for each home.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Partie de Football, Thimphu, Bouthan
Children playing football, Thimphu, Bouthan

Christophe Boisvieux

This unused postcard is from 2011.

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Thimphu, also spelt Thimpu, is the capital (as of 1961) and the largest city of Bhutan. In 2005 it had a population of 79,185 people.

Bhutan is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China.

The Florida Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States. It boasts rare and endangered species. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance.

Facts about my collection...

I have been collecting stamped, mailed postcards since 1973. I have cards made from plastic, fabric, wood, metal, leather, and paper. Also, cards announcing the wrong person as president of the U.S., cards that are actual puzzles, cards that are playable records, light switch covers and a card mailed from the initial flight of the Hindenburg, 3D cards, hold to light cards, 1912 Titanic postcard and just about everything you can think of! So far I have over 12,000postcards scanned with many more still to go.

Postcrossing

Want to start your own postcard collection with cards from around the world? Check out Postcrossing - It's free too!

One of the TOP TEN postcard blogs!

This blog has been named one of the top ten postcard blogs by ephemera.typepad.com.
I would like to say thank you, and I'm glad so many people now get to enjoy my postcard collection. The computer is truly a wonderful thing!